The Hall of Honor

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

There’s a war going on out there. How are you going to win?

Nathan next to two of his biggest supporters, Sandi and Steve Myers.

This mindset is prevalent in so many areas of life. Students compete for the top grade point average and class ranking. Athletes compete for the highest jump, the lowest time, or the most wins. Businessmen and women compete for lucrative deals and influential positions. We crave the benefits and the honor of being recognized for rising to the top and nothing will stand in our way to achieve this goal. There is not much room for encouraging and building others up because this could cause us to lose our edge.

Recently our local high school held its yearly awards ceremony. I was amazed at the talents and gifting of our seniors and other students as they each walked the aisle to receive award after award. But our neighbor was the the most inspiring honoree of the evening.

Every year an individual is added to our school’s Wall of Honor. Adorning the wall are pictures of alumni military personnel, great coaches, influential teachers, successful businesspeople, and missionaries who have represented the school well. This year the honoree was chosen for a different reason.

Since the early 1960s, Steve Myers has dedicated a huge portion of his time to encouraging our student athletes. In the past five decades he has attended thousands of athletic events to cheer on our teams. He has run the chains for all the home football games and made it a priority to build up the players after wins and losses alike with a hug or kind word.

The school honored these consistent acts of selflessness this year with a plaque that will hang on the Wall of Honor as a constant testimony to all who pass by.

There is a spiritual war raging in the world today. Many are fighting and many are hurting from wounds received in battle. And even though we know from the Scriptures that God will win this war, we are simply called to battle on. We must be faithful to use the weapons that God has provided for our parts in the battles that rage around us.

One of the most important things we can do as we help other believers fill their places in these battles is to encourage them. Whether we are fighting behind enemy lines in hand-to-hand combat, whether we are on the front lines holding the enemy back, or whether we are behind our own lines taking some much needed rest, each of us can encourage one another to continue faithfully in the fight. Often that is all a fellow soldier needs to help them remember that what we are doing is important and necessary.

The future is bright for the many graduating seniors, but there is a war going on out there. How are you going to help win the war?

Your name may never be placed on our school’s Wall of Honor next to Steve Myers’ plaque, but those you encourage will have your name written on the wall of their heart.